2021–22 Israel State Cup

Maccabi Haifa entered the 2021–22 State Cup final as the dominant force in Israeli football that season, having secured the Premier League championship for a second consecutive year.[4] Before the final, the club had also won the Aluf HaAlufim and the Toto Cup, leaving only the State Cup between them and a sweep of all four major domestic titles.[3] Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Bachar framed the final as a distinct challenge, describing it as a "one-game winner-take-all" match that was "not connected to the league whatsoever."[4]

Hapoel Be'er Sheva, meanwhile, had seen their league title hopes end when they lost 2–1 to Hapoel Tel Aviv in league play, leaving Maccabi Haifa to clinch the championship despite losing 3–1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv on the same matchday.[4] The two clubs had never previously met in a State Cup final, though they had faced each other at the semifinal stage: Hapoel Be'er Sheva won that encounter 3–0 in 2003, and Maccabi Haifa won 3–1 in 2016 before going on to lift the trophy.[2]

The quarterfinal round saw Maccabi Tel Aviv eliminate Kabilyo Jaffa, Hapoel Be'er Sheva defeat Maccabi Petah Tikva, Hapoel Haifa beat Bnei Yehuda across both legs, and Maccabi Haifa advance past Hapoel Hadera.[5] In an earlier round, Hapoel Be'er Sheva defeated Beitar Tel Aviv/Bat Yam 3–0, with Rotem Hatuel scoring twice and Dor Micha also netting, while Maccabi Haifa beat Hapoel Jerusalem 2–0 through goals from Ofri Arad and Dean David.[6]

The two semifinals were held at Bloomfield Stadium on April 19 and 20, 2022.[5] Maccabi Haifa won the Haifa derby against Hapoel Haifa 2–0 to advance to the final.[7] Hapoel Be'er Sheva faced Maccabi Tel Aviv on April 20 and won 3–1: George Jovanovic opened the scoring for Maccabi Tel Aviv, but Mariano Bareiro, Eugene Ansah, and Rotem Hatuel each scored for Be'er Sheva to secure their place in the final.[8]

The final at Teddy Stadium was delayed shortly after kickoff when supporters of both clubs threw flares and smoke onto the pitch, causing a stoppage of approximately six minutes before play resumed.[1]

Hapoel Be'er Sheva took the lead in the 27th minute when Eugene Ansah created space on the wing and found Ramzi Safuri, who scored from close range.[1] Maccabi Haifa equalized in the 55th minute through a penalty converted by Omer Atzili after Eyad Abu Abaid conceded a foul in the area.[1] Be'er Sheva regained their advantage when substitute Rotem Hatuel headed home a free-kick delivered by Danilo Asprilla.[1] Three minutes before the end of regulation, however, Hapoel Be'er Sheva captain Miguel Vítor turned the ball into his own net to make it 2–2, sending the final to extra time.[1]

The match remained level through 120 minutes and was decided by a penalty shootout. Hapoel Be'er Sheva goalkeeper Omri Glazer delivered an outstanding performance, saving efforts from Dolev Haziza, Godsway Donyoh, and Mavis Tchibota to give Be'er Sheva a 3–1 shootout victory.[1] It was Hapoel Be'er Sheva's first successful State Cup final penalty shootout, having lost their previous two final shootouts; Maccabi Haifa, meanwhile, remained without a win across four State Cup final shootouts.[1]

The 2021–22 final was Hapoel Be'er Sheva's sixth State Cup final appearance.[2] The club had previously won the competition in 1997 and 2020, and lost three other finals before this edition.[2] The 2022 triumph made it the third State Cup title in the club's history and the second in three seasons, underlining their status as one of the leading sides in Israeli domestic football during this period.[1]

For Maccabi Haifa, the defeat meant a narrowly missed opportunity to complete a historic clean sweep of Israeli domestic honors in a single season. Having already collected the Premier League, the Aluf HaAlufim, and the Toto Cup, the State Cup was the only prize that eluded them.[3] The final was also historically notable as the first-ever State Cup final meeting between the two clubs.[2]

A preliminary scheduling announcement issued on October 26, 2021, listed May 25, 2022, as the date for the State Cup final at Teddy Stadium. Later match reports place the final on May 24, 2022, the date on which it was actually played.[9][2]